Health groups appeal for end to cheap wine with minimum floor price

Health groups want the McGowan Government immediately to introduce a minimum floor price on alcohol to stop $3 bottles of wine but liquor stores claim it is a bandaid measure.

The final report of the Government’s Sustainable Health Review recommends WA follow the Northern Territory, which brought in a $1.30 floor price per standard drink last year.

If the same unit price was adopted in WA, it would see the cheapest bottle of wine sell for about $10.

Health Minister Roger Cook, who has spoken of his support for minimum pricing since 2017, said the impact in the NT was “eye-watering,” with big decreases in alcohol-related hospital visits and crime.

But he said the evidence was relatively new and the WA Government had no immediate plans to introduce a policy.

“Ultimately WA is going to have to come to a reckoning around the level of alcohol consumption and abuse,” he said.

“This report puts a range of challenges to government and the community generally around alcohol consumption and we have to be ready to accept those challenges.”

Robyn Kruk, who chaired the review, said the Government would need to look at the circumstances. Younger people were drinking less and baby boomers were drinking too much.

“We certainly put it (minimum pricing) on the table,” she said.

Health experts have long argued for a minimum price of between $1 and $1.50 per standard drink which would mostly affect cheap bottled wine and cask wine.

With a $1.50 floor price, a 750ml bottle of wine with 7.7 standard drinks could not sell for less than about $11.50.

Australian Medical Association WA president Omar Khorshid called on the McGowan Government to implement a policy immediately.

“We know this measure targets high-level drinking, it doesn’t target safe drinking,” he said.

Liquor Stores Association of WA chief executive Peter Peck said the industry recognised more needed to be done to target problem drinkers but minimum pricing was a bandaid measure.

“For problem drinkers who self-medicate you just push them on to a different substance, like in Kalgoorlie where methylated spirits with orange juice is the drink of the day, or on to meth,” he said.

Mr Peck said measures to limit retail sales could be circumvented by ordering online.

Shadow health minister Sean L’Estrange would not commit to minimum unit pricing, saying the Opposition would need to look at the impact on the market.